Two Sirkorsky C 76 ++crashes in six months have put a question mark on the safety of the aircraft type used by Bristow Helicopters, a leading player in the rotary wings sub-sector of aviation, KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.
The crash of the helicopters followed almost the same pattern. The Sirkorsky C 76 ++ crashed into the Oworonshoki end of the Lagos lagoon last August 12. The second was said to have landed on water last Wednesday. These crashes have called to question the safety of this aircraft operated by Bristow Helicopters.
Though probes are not meant to be punitive, experts believe it is time the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), implemented the recommendations of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on previous crashes.
Worried by the trend of Bristow’s choppers crashes, NCAA last week suspended the operation of the aircraft, pending an audit of the firm.
At a briefing in Lagos, NCAA Director-General Captain Mukhtar Usman said the decision was taken in the industry’s interest.
He said the step was not punitive, but would allow its inspectors find out what may have gone wrong with the aircraft.
Usman said: “I must mention that this suspension of the operations for the impending wholesale audit is not a vote of no confidence on the airline. It is to ascertain the adequacy and the propriety of the operating aircraft.
“This action is not new to the industry but one of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) all over the world.
“The decisions are without prejudice to the investigations being conducted by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
“As a matter of fact, it will serve to assist in the entire process. The Authority will fully support AIB in the investigation.
“Therefore, the regulatory authority views with utmost seriousness the successive mishaps of Bristow Helicopters’operating aircraft Sikorsky C-76 ++ on the coastal waters of Lagos.
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has, therefore, decided to suspend the operation of the Bristow Helicopters Limited’s Sikorsky C 76 ++ type till further notice.
“This suspension will enable the authority carry out a full scale audit on its operations with particular emphasis on its Sikorsky C -76 ++ type.
“If you may recall in August, 2015, a Bristow Helicopter operated Sikorsky C-76 series crashed around Oworonshoki axis in Lagos.
“Therefore, as a responsible regulatory authority, it is important to stem the rapidity of occurrence and ensure the airline carry out safe operations.
“I must also mention that this suspension of operations for the impending wholesale audit is not a vote of no confidence on the airline. It is to ascertain the adequacy and propriety of the operating aircraft type.”
The incidents and accidents, according to a former Airport Commandant and member of the Aviation Round Table (ART), Group Captain John Ojikutu, is unacceptable to one operator.
He wondered how the NCAA would explain these to the public when safety recommendations were made for each accident report.
He said: ‘’ Were there no considerations to conduct surveys instead of audits on the operator? These incessant accidents need special surveys on the operations, maintenance and crew licensing of the operator and not audit. To do these, Bristow operations may have to be shut down otherwise, NCAA and the operator will have a lot of explanations to make when other stakeholders and the public get to know about this.”
A pilot last year listed regulatory inefficiency and negligence of aviation agencies as part of the reasons air crashes are on the increase in Nigeria. He said both factors accounted for 70 per cent of the causes of air mishaps.
He said other factors that contribute to air mishaps included mechanical errors of airplanes.
He said air crashes could be minimised if the relevant agencies of the government learnt lessons from published reports of previous accidents.
“We need to start looking at landing aids and landing areas at airports because over 70 per cent of air crashes in Nigeria are linked to negligence on the part of aviation parastatals and oversight deficiencies of regulatory agencies.
“We need to look at the issues and not sweep them under the carpet in Nigeria,” he said.
Investigations reveal that since 2007, Bristow has been involved in at least 10 incidents and accidents.
In 2007, a Bristow Bell 412EP with registration 5N-BIQ-35385 took off from the Eket-Qua Ibom Terminal Airfield and crashed into water.
It was gathered that the flight was neither scheduled or requested.
According to the accident report: ‘’The Bristow line Training Captain, Cleighton Brown boarded the aircraft 5N–BIQ Bell 412EP at 07:30hrs without the co-pilot. He started the aircraft engines rapidly, made a radio call at 07:32hrs for a “local flight”, and lifted rapidly at 07:35hrs.
‘’He made two fast fly passes over the airfield and on the third fly pass the aircraft descended steeply over the west of the airfield at a high speed impacting the ground at 07:39hrs.
‘’The pilot died of injuries shortly after being rescued from the wreckage. The helicopter was barely two years old as at the time it crashed, having been manufactured in September 2005.’’
On July 14, 2011, a Bristow Helicopters aircraft with registration 5N-BMM crashed at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), barely four years after the 2007 crash in Eket.
AIB, in its report on the crash, revealed that the two pilots in the cockpit were captains paired for the flight contrary to the airline’s policy.
AIB, which made this known in its final report on the Bristow Helicopter crash in 2011, on its website last year year, said the airline used its Operations Manual Part A and C that were not approved by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority(NCAA).
The report reads: “Bristow does not have a policy on pairing or crew roaster; however, two pilots of same age bracket 56 and 60 years were paired/rostered.’’
Besides, the accident investigation body said the two pilots who flew the aircraft were relatively new on the aircraft.
The AIB said the Pilot Flying (PF) and Pilot Monitoring (PM) had total hours on the aircraft type of 684 and 612 hours.
A few years ago, an AS-332L Super Puma (5N-BKJ) belonging to Bristow Nigeria also ditched into the sea off the coast of Nigeria.
It was only a few hundred meters from its destination.
Investigations reveal that the NCAA recently completed an audit on Bristow.
Last week’s accident, a source said, occasioned the need to deepen another audit.
The source said the female pilot should be commended for ditching the chopper when she noticed a technical fault.
He said: “In truth, it was not a crash. The aircraft was ditched into the Atlantic. The pilot was experienced enough to do that. At no time did she lose control of the aircraft. She noticed the technical problem and made a decision to ditch and even if it is not water she would have landed the helicopter perfectly. She did what we (regulators) have always advised them to do, she could have decided to continue for another 75 nautical miles but she chose right and it was not a crash per se.”
He added: “It’s just like air return when a pilot is about to take off and they notice anything wrong the pilot can abort the flight and that is part of regulation. It doesn’t mean it’s a serious problem, but why take the chance? We have always asked pilots not to assume they are supermen, no one is a superhero and so if the laid down procedures are followed everything will be okay. She (the pilot) did an incredible job and should be commended.’’